Over the last 25 years...

Over the last 25 years of being a school leader, there are questions that have never been far from my conversations and thoughts. The questions of, How we are doing? What should we do next? What difference are we making and how can we be even better? We look for and receive feedback in all kinds of ways, and we use this feedback to help answer some of those questions. We recently asked our parent community for their thoughts through the parent survey. 

I have to say, the feedback was once again highly positive concerning the difference we are making here at BISC. When we benchmark ourselves against other schools within the NAE family, we consistently buck the trend with results that significantly exceed other schools in our region and across NAE. Sure, there were messages about how we can improve, and we are grateful for that feedback. However, the overwhelming positivity you have shown us, the value you place on our teachers, and the learning experiences they give your children only serves to spur us on to want to go even further than the extra mile. 

There does seem to be one word that I keep coming across; that of Impact. What Impact are you having? What Impact do you expect to see? Where is the evidence of your Impact? A word that seems to be used as a short cut to justify yourself. It’s not a bad word; in fact, I think it's important to be able to explain your intent and to demonstrate that all your efforts are worth it. After all, we are trying to change the world! 

Yet, I do sometimes stop and think that if we become overly fixated on reaching a goal, if all that matters is the impact and evidence, we might just miss the point. Sometimes, there just isn’t a specific intended outcome, but rather a direction of exploration, a journey, and we will know what really matters when we find it. Sometimes, being overly constrained by a predetermined expectation stops us from being open to other possibilities. 

In early years classes, teachers speak about child-initiated learning opportunities, which simply put means going with the flow of a child’s curiosity, following them in their imaginative play, and allowing them to explore a myriad of ideas. There is no set expectation of impact, not even any tangible evidence of what was accomplished, but the learning is nonetheless as valuable.

I am reminded of the paint by numbers craze where you fill in the different empty shapes with the color determined by the designated number to make sure you end up with a beautiful painting. Yet, if set free with a palette of colors and a blank canvas, you are equally likely to make a masterpiece, only of your own choosing. They might both lead to an impactful painting, but the creative point gets lost in the numbers.